Treasure Town ~ Marowak Dojo

[NebulaDreams]

"Fuck!" Curio screamed as Starr swiped her chest. Well, that stung. Curio didn't have time to look back at the claw marks before she had to start the next move. She was pure adrenaline, full of piss and vinegar, Combees buzzing in her head. Curio pounced forward, ignoring the pain, and grabbed Starr by her tail to drag her into punching distance. And indeed she punched, driving her fist into Starr's face.

 

[Jedi Shulk]

“Curio and Starr are fighting. What's your name by the way?” Fay asked.

 

[Umbramatic]

"I'm Mithos! I just got here." He squints at the fight. "Hey I know a Riolu back home."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr's claws found their mark. Hell yeah, eat shit--

Aaaaand Curio grabbed her by the tail. Fuck. She wasn't used to having a tail. She wasn't prepared for that. Fuck.

Welp. No way around it. She was getting punched, might as well make it painful for Curio too. She pivoted as quickly as she could and lashed out with her claws a second time.

 

[NebulaDreams]

Remember what Curio said about ignoring the pain? Well, scratch that, Starr's claws hurt like a mother, and just as soon as she landed that punch too! Was it worth it to take Starr down a peg? Yes. Did that stop her from recoiling from the scratches? Hell no. Curio backed away, groaning as she clutched her chest. It was wet. Probably bleeding. Shit on a Shuckle.

There was no chance she could've used another quick attack on Starr, not when all she was doing was punching or kicking. She had to carefully plan her next move. But what else was there aside from graceless brawling?

Oh, right. She remembered what she did to strengthen her moves in her match against Brisa earlier. Starr was like a cactus on legs, sure, but that didn't mean she was invulnerable. After two hits, especially the previous one, one well placed one against her might've done the trick. So Curio bounced on her feet again, bobbing her head to a silent rhythm as she charged up a Swords Dance.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr stumbled backward from Curio's last punch, slightly winded but high on adrenaline. Hell yeah, two scratches, and she'd managed to draw some blood with that last one, nice. If she could brace herself to take the hits and retaliate each time, she might have a shot.

Wait. Curio had pulled back. What was she... The Riolu had broken into a sort of rhythmic dance, swinging her arms wide, lifting her legs high.

Starr snorted. "Sorry, didn't realize we were in a dance-off now!" she called out with a smirk. But even as she said it, the truth dawned on her. Swords Dance. The Riolu knows friggin' Swords Dance are you KIDDING me.

Ugh. What a pain. No way to outlast her damage output if she's gonna set up. What other moves did Starr know? Useless, low level crap. Scratch, and... Growl? Ugh. Well, if Curio was boosting, maybe she could lower her attack, even if it was only a little.

Starr planted her paws firmly on either side of her. She tensed herself up, opened her mouth wide--

Then, somewhat unexpectedly, she felt the stirrings of flame in her throat.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane found himself somewhat entranced by the dance. Without thinking about it, he started dropping a simple beat to match her rhythm, unknowingly imitating a kick drum and high-hat. He was entirely ignorant to this (admittedly, half-decent) beatboxing, but anyone in his immediate vicinity could hear it.

 

[Namohysip]

Diyem could feel it. Curio's complete and utter lack of her technique boosting her abilities. That wasn't Swords Dance. That was hyping herself up.

...Perhaps he could inform her later. He had a feeling that telling her now would just get an earful. Then again, so would informing her later... Ah, well.

 

[NebulaDreams]

If Curio was being honest, she didn't feel any different by doing that jig than she did when she wasn't. If anything, it tired her out more. She was either being a complete dumbass and didn't actually have Sword's Dance at all, or she was given false information by a certain someone not of this world. Still, she might as well have rolled with it. And, oh crap, Starr's firing up an Ember.

Curio didn't have much energy to spare. If she tried to dodge the incoming Ember, she probably would've exhausted herself even more than before. That would've made her open for another attack anyway. The sting was started to get to her; her chest felt like it was burning. Ah, well. If she was gonna burn anyway, it was better to charge through the flames rather than wait to be burnt to a crisp.

She grit her teeth. This was going to hurt.

Curio sprinted forward with all her might, putting every ounce of will into her feet and fists.

 

[Chibi Pika]

The heat intensified. It spread through Starr's body, filling her up, making her feel lighter. Was this what being a fire-type was supposed to feel like?

...

She liked it.

Curio was charging. Slower than the previous Quick Attacks, but the sort of move that had all her strength behind it. And after a Swords Dance too, dammit. Starr could probably dodge it, but she'd have to waste time charging up her inner fire again, and when was she gonna get another opening like this?

...Screw it. Curio wanted to go all out? All out it is, then.

Starr doubled down, forcing the energy within her into her mouth and letting it burst forward in a shower of red-hot flares.

 

[NebulaDreams]

Before Curio charged through the wall of flames, she braced herself, closing her eyes to avoid burning that part of her face. She still needed her eyeballs.

As expected, running through fire hurt, like having a big bucket of scalding hot water thrown at her from the front. She was definitely gonna regret it when she woke up after the fight, since she was definitely down for the count after this. But not yet. Curio opened her eyes, and she freaking floored it to where Starr was. Would she have time to charge up another Ember? Probably not. And so, Curio put her energy back into her right fist. Her best fist. How original, using another punch as a quick attack, but she didn't care. On the off chance that this phony Sword's Dance worked, that would've been enough to knock Starr out.

Curio socked Starr straight in the jaw.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Fire. Hell yes, this was nice. A wild exhilaration had overtaken Starr as she poured all her energy into the flames. Maybe too much. Hell with it, if this didn't take Curio out, nothing would. The Riolu kept going, taking the attack full-on. Her movements slowed. The fire was obviously getting to her. Yes, come on just a little more--

But it wasn't enough. The punch came anyway, and it hit like a brick. Starr staggered backward, lights dancing in her vision, pain shooting through her jaw. The Litten barely caught herself before she would have fallen, breathing hard, vision flickering in and out as her brain fogged up. She spat blood and grinned. "....Fuck. Nice punch."

Then her limbs gave out and she hit the ground.

 

[NebulaDreams]

As soon as she hit Starr, Curio toppled forward, her whole body pinned against an unconscious Starr. She didn’t care what people had to say about this showdown that happened between them, as their chatter faded into white noise for her. She smiled before she ell asleep, both content and exhausted.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane—far too invested in the fight by now—leapt up with his claws in the air and a raucous shout. Watching felt almost like being in the fight (the main distinction being both participants actually could fight). Adrenaline coursed through his veins while he watched Starr slump to the floor.

That same adrenaline shot him forward once Curio's consciousness left. He got to the pair surprisingly (to him, at least) fast, only to realize he had nothing to help. Not that he particularly cared about either of them—of course not, that would be ridiculous—but leaving them unconscious seemed irresponsible. They had to fight two fat fish in less than a few days!

"Oran? Sitrus? Anyone got a reviver?" he asked the crowd as dispassionately as a boyfriend proposing for marriage. He wasn't worried for either of their well-beings, and seeing their battered forms right there in front of him didn't give him an ounce of guilt for enjoying watching them beat each other to a pulp. "We can't just leave them here!" He was a hard m(a/o)n, uncaring of anybody but himself or his own plans. These two just happened to be necessary to his plan of not dying to two too massive magikarp.

 

[Umbramatic]

"Oh hey, the Riolu won! HEY NICE JOB RIOLU!"

He paused..

"...Is the Litten okay?"

 

[Tanuki]

Zane picked up the litten in question by the nape, flipped her over in examination a few times, and (gently) dropped her back to the ground. “Definitely unconscious,” he concluded. He then turned to Curio, kneeling over her and delicately turning her over in case anything was broken.

He had no idea what to look for. “They, uh, both look pretty beat up. Think you can heal them or something?”

 

[Jedi Shulk]

“I will go to the others that the fight has finished.” Fay walked out of the dojo.

 

[Namohysip]

"Well, that was on helluva fight." Soda said monotonously. "So, how about the part where you guys are gonna take on a giant fish next, eh? You're down one unit already, what say a few more or whatever?" He rolled his eyes and took down a mouthful of seasoned popcorn. "Better hope you guys recover fast. Zane, you already look injured, for one. The hell attacked you? Injuries don't usually last that long.

 

[Tanuki]

"Injured?" Zane looked himself over. He looked fine. The red on his chest seemed the only mark that Soda could mistake for an injury. "First time seeing a zangoose? They, er," it still felt odd referring to himself as a pokémon, somehow. "We all have something like this." He looked at Soda with confusion and less-than-convincing smugness. He did feel a bit groggy, but that's just the morning.

 

[Namohysip]

Soda stared for a while, but then shrugged. "Nah, you look just fine. Good luck against the Magikarp, you'll do great." He went back to his popcorn.